It took a modern Trench cutting methods and Remixing Deep (TRD) machine to help excavate three 18th-century sailing ships at the Robinson Landing site on the Alexandria, Va. waterfront.
Working in historic districts such as Old Town Alexandria, “you never know what you will find,” says Greg Griffin, senior director at EYA Multifamily Construction LLC. A ship had been discovered in 2015 at an adjoining property and “everybody knew this was one of the oldest and most important sites, but we didn’t realize how intact the features were,” Griffin says.